Adapter adjustment attachment device for a shaft countersunk in a threaded sleeve



y 1966 w H. HATHAWAY, JR A 3,

ADAPTER ADJU STMENT ATTACHMENT DEVICE FOR SHAFT COUNTERSUNK IN A THREADED SLEEVE Filed Jan. 22, 1964 FIG. 6 H6. 7

34 20 1Q 34 ,aa 34 II] J INVENTOR W/l/iam H. Ha/haway, Jr.

UWM

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,260,544 ADAPTER ADJUSTMENT ATTACHMENT DEVICE "A SHAFT COUNTERSUNK IN A THREADED William H. Hathaway, Jr., 1209 Orkney Drive, Virginia Beach, Va.

Filed Jan. 22, 1964, Ser. No. 339,432

1 Claim. (Cl. 287-104) This invention relates to an adapter adjustment attachment device for use in adjusting a shaft such as a valve shaft Where the end of the shaft is countersunk within an external sleeve, particularly in locations where the end of the valve shaft isin a location that is difficult to reach.

A particular object of this invention is to provide an adapter tool for adjusting the valve shaft that controls the superheat on an Alco Thermal Expansion Valve, such as manufactured by the A100 Valve Company, of St. Louis, Missouri. This Alco valve has a male flare threaded connection or externally threaded sleeve on its side in which an adjustment slotted screw head is countersunk. This threaded flare sleeve comes from the factory with a flare or internally threaded cap to prevent loss of refrigerant.

The superheat of this valve is the flare cap and by taking a screw driver and turning driver into position to make any adjustment, due to pipes, lines, and close quarters. In these cases, the service man usually resorts to an offset screw driver or ratchet type angle screw driver. Even then, it is extremely diflicult or almost impossible to keep the screw driver bit in the kerf of the adjusting screw or valve shaft while making an adjustment, and the kerf is usually progressively damaged until it becomes impossible to make the proper adjustrnent.

It is an object of this invention to overcome these ditficulties by providing a construction whereby a screw driver bit may be positively inserted into and held in the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

1 is a perspective view of the adapter of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 1.

PI 4 is a sectional view on line 44 of FIG. 3, in initial position.

FIG. 5 is a similar sectional view, in operative position.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the invention in operative position with an operating Wrench applied.

FIG. 7 is a view at right angles to FIG. 6.

There is shown at 10 the housing for a thermal exing kerf 14in its end 16, this kerf end 16 being counter- Patented July 12, 1966 18. The other end of the shaft 12 may be threaded as at 13 in FIG. 4 when the valve on the shaft 12 is a needle or gate valve, and has a maximum closed position beyond which it may not be turned without causing damage thereto. The shaft 12 is not threaded, 'as in FIG. 3, when the valve thereon is a butterfly or flap valve.

about the adjustment shaft 12, normally threaded such cap and sleeve are located in close quarters, where the cap is readily accessible to a wrench, at right angles to the shaft, and where there is no room to insert the bit of an ordinary screwdriver in the shaft kerf 14, countersunk within the end of the threaded sleeve 18.

With this invention, a conventional ratchet wrench 36, such as normally available in every service mans tool kit, is used for making the adjustment of the valve shaft 12. This invention includes a cap 20, internally threaded at 22 complementary to the threads on sleeve 18, and journaled axially through the cap 20 is a tool shank 24. Except for the presence of the axial which the tool shank 24 is journaled, the cap 20 is identical with the cap (not shown) which is normally threaded on the sleeve 18 to prevent leakage of refrigerant about the valve shaft 12.

An outwardly extending flange 26 on the end of the tool shank 24 is provided with a screwdriver bit 28 of a size complementary to the kerf 14 on the valve shaft 12, so that, when properly inserted in the valve shaft kerf 14, rotation of the tool shank 24 will control rotation of the valve shaft 12.

A compression spring 30 coiled about the tool shank 24 between the inside of the cap 20 and the back of the flange 26 biases the tool shank 24 in a direction inwardly of the cap, such inward movement being limited by a stop member in the form of fixedly secured on washer flange 32 and the back of the tool shank end flange 26, the tool shank 24 is cylindrical in shape so freely as well as the cap 20 within the limits provided spring 30 and the washer flange 32.

Beyond the outside washer flange 32, the tool shank 24 is squared as at 34, preferably about inch on a side so as to be complementary to a socket 38 or 40 in an end wrench 36 of the same size, particularly such as the conventional socket wrench 36 which has the usual rotary ratchet socket 38 in one end, and the fixed socket 40 in the other end, of the A1 inch size.

In operation, in order to adjust the valve shaft 12, the flare cap is first removed from the threaded sleeve to the service man, the spring 30 compressing as the cap 20 moves into position. When the service man becomes aware of this gap between the washer flange 32 and the back of cap 20, either visually or by feel, he then merely rotates the squared end 32 of tool shank 24 until it snaps inwardly under force of the ry rotating the ary to make the proper adjustment, this being very easy aecause the wrench 36 provides complete control of the Nation of the valve shaft 12 without possibility of the )it 28 slipping out of the kerf 14. Then, when the valve ihaft- 12 has been properly adjusted, the cap 20 is renoved, unthreading it with another wrench, if necessary, while using the wrench 36 to maintain the tool shank 24 and thus the valve shaft 12 against accidental rotation as the cap 20 is removed, so that the bit 28 is removed in an axial direction without accidental rotation. When the cap 20 is removed, the regular flare protecting cap (not shown) is replaced to prevent loss of refrigerant.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description. is intended as being illustrative rather than: limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the. invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

A valve shaft adjustment attachment device for use in rotating a valve shaft having a tool cooperating end countersunk'within an externally threaded sleeve by a wrench extending at right angles thereto, said valve shaft adjustment adapter comprising an adapter cap threaded complementary to the threaded sleeve, a tool shank journaled through the closed end of and terminating within said threaded adapter cap, a valve shaft end cooperating tool fixed on the inner-end of said j-ournaled tool shank and also terminating within said threaded cap, said end cooperating tool having a greater diameter than said journaled tool shank, aspring about said journaled shaft biased between said tool end and the inside wall of said cap, a flange fixed to said journaled shaft outside of said cap' limiting the axial inward movement of said journaled shaft under the bias of said spring, and a wrench valve shaft 12 in either direction as neces-- said tool shaft to move outwardly creating a gap between said flange and then rotation of valve shaft and tool end and adjust the valve shaft.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,698,521 1/1929 Wood -51 2,235,235 3/1941 Price 145-50 2,430,044 11/ 1947 Campsmith 145-5 1 2,570,230 10/1951 Hammond 145-51 2,748,600 6/1956 Allen 25129l' X 2,827,913 3/1958 Wagner 25 l-291 X References Cited by the Applicant UNITED STATES PATENTS I 1,769,067 7/1930 Meunier. 2,150,343 3/ 1939 Schieber. 2,276,470 3/ 1942 Dodelin.

2,544,834 3/1951 Hancock. 2,782,823 2/ 1957 Williams.

CARL W. TOMLIN, Primary Examiner. I. B. TALTON, D. W. AROLA, Assistant Examiners. 

